Doe aborted, maybe?

[bcadybug]

I got a call from my husband this morning after he went out to feed the goaties. We have snow on the ground here and he said he could see a plate sized blood spot in the snow with a couple dribbles leading away from it. I have 3 does that I bred the week of Oct 12th. I also have one doe that was bred Dec 11th out there. SO, I'm assuming that one of my does has aborted...?? I asked if he did a "tail check" since I'm at work and can't. He said he kinda did a check, but he couldn't tell who had left the spot. All goats were acting and eating normal according to the hubby. I've been planning to draw blood to send off to Biotracking for prego testing but just haven't done it yet.

My questions are, is there a sure-fire way to tell who left the trail? Does this sound like one aborted? Will there be more spotting? Is it more likely that one of the couple-month bred does aborted or the bred 2 weeks ago doe? Should I now wait even longer to draw blood for testing? Will a recently aborted doe still show pregnant?

All these does that were bred are first freshners. I'm going on my third year owning goats and only second kidding season... HELP!

Val

[Beulah Gardens]

I have never had a goat abort so am really just guessing but a plate size puddle would leave a mess on the back end of a goat. It should be really easy to find the offending doe. If she was several months along there should be a visible fetus as they grow quite rapidly. If there is no bloody back end I would be looking for cracked hooves, broken scurs, gashes or something. You didn't feed something colored like beet? Any other animals in the pen that could be bleeding, chickens? I'm sorry,that's really too bad, hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

[LaManchaPaul]

Val, like you I am new at this. I had a Saanen with dried blood and what appeared to be tissue stuck to her tail on the morning of the 20th. She had been in heat AND bred four days earlier. I assume that she aborted but ??? four days later...with lots of blood. Could be a cyst.

Like you, I'll send blood soon, but probably will wait to see if she comes in season again.

My concern is that I'll have a doe that goes unbred an entire year. She dried off by herself as she kept giving less and less milk.

I think that I'll wait a few weeks before sending blood..
Sorry that I don't know the answers to your questions.

[bcadybug]

Thanks for responding you guys. I got home yesterday and thoroughly inspected everyone's tail/body parts. I found nothing on tails and nothing on the ground either. The spot in question was no longer there. In hindsight, I should have asked my hubby to take a picture of the spot. I'm hoping that if someone did abort, it was the doe that was bred two weeks ago and not my others. If she's not bred it won't hurt my feelings and I'll just catch her next heat. This little doe is a pygmy-mix so I've got time this season to try again with her.

I'm gonna quit procrastinating and draw the darn blood this weekend... Or next.. Hehehehe....

Thanks again everyone! I tend to PANIC at any and every unusual thing that comes up. You know what that means with goats, I'm in a CONSTANT PANIC!

Val